For the film to be a success, just the right young actor had to
be cast in the lead, someone to capture both Jake's charismatic
and devilish sides. "Jonathan is perfect for this role,"
says Trench. "He's funny and he's smart, but he's also a
little mischievous. And he really comes of age in this film.
Everybody's seen him on 'Home Improvement,' as a young boy, a
member of a family. Now we get to see him as a love interest."

His "love interest" is Allie, Jake's independent-minded,
strong-willed girlfriend, played by Jessica Biel who is most prominently
known from television's "7th Heaven." "Allie's
a 'no-nonsense' kind of girl," asserts the actress. "She
doesn't take anything from anybody. I like that about her."

"Allie is the voice of reason," explains Tracey Trench.
"The solid girl, the best girlfriend a guy could imagine
having."

In the beginning, Jake and Allie could not like each other more.
"She's charmed by Jake's character," says director
Sanford. "But early on in the film, she gets fed up and
separates from him."

Biel states bluntly, "Jake starts acting like an idiot.
He starts making bad choices, and so he and Allie clash."

All of which is further complicated by Jake's rival, Eddie. In
an effort to regain the status on campus that's been usurped by
Jake, Eddie sabotages one of Jake's scams, then helps the football
team get a little payback.

Adam La Vorgna says of his character, "Eddie's the bad guy
in the script. But even then, he's kind of a likable guy. He's
trying to be cool when he's not. He wants to get the girl, but
he goes about it in a very goofy way."

Biel adds, "At first, Allie doesn't want anything to do with
Eddie. He's kind of a slimeball. But as the movie goes on, and
they spend time together, they actually start becoming friends.
She finds out that he's not so 'Mr. Cool' after all, that it's
a facade. From there they start to develop a friendship."

First and foremost, however, Allie is Jake's girl, even though
they spend much of their screen time apart from each other. "Their
relationship is sort of odd that way," says Thomas. "They
really aren't together for a large portion of the movie. But
the times they are together, you can see they have a very good
relationship. They really do love each other."

"At the end of the movie," says Sanford, "Jonathan
and Jessica performed Jake's and Allie's reconciliation beautifully."

"That's what the movie's about," concludes Tracey Trench.
"Finding out what it means at Christmas time to get back
to the people you love. And at the same time have a lot of fun
doing it."

"I love Christmas," says Jonathan Taylor Thomas. "If
we could celebrate it three hundred and sixty-five days a year,
I would."